“She’s quiet at first. She’ll sit there for a good ten minutes or so before she starts to fuss.”
He reluctantly let her go. “You hit the shower, and I’ll go peek at her.”
“Thank you, Noah.” She grinned at him as she grabbed her clothes from the floor and rushed out of the room.
Noah lay back on the bed for a moment, wallowing in disappointment. His dick stared up at him accusingly. “Sorry,” he muttered as he sat up and reached for his pants. “I tried, buddy. Better luck next time.”
He went to brush his teeth, dragged on a shirt, and then checked on Alice. Sure enough, she was sitting up in her crib. She tugged herself up when she saw him, a big smile breaking over her sweet little face. “Unk No-wuh!”
His heart did that melty thing all over again as he went to pick her up. “Morning, kiddo. How’d you sleep?”
“Pee-pee,” she replied.
Shit, her potty chair was in the bathroom where Jenna was currently showering. “Okay, honey,” he said as he carried her to the hall bath. The shower was running, but he knocked anyway.
“Yes?” Jenna called.
“Alice has to pee. Can I bring her in? Or can you take her?”
“It’s okay, you can come in. I’m already in the shower.”
Noah pushed open the door and helped Alice to the potty. Jenna peeked around the edge of the shower curtain.
“Pee-pee, Denna,” Alice said from the potty.
“Good girl. You get a stamp. Uncle Noah can put it on for you.”
“Yay!”
Jenna smiled at him and he smiled back. It felt like a goofy grin, but what the hell. He was stupid happy inside for some reason. Even though he was helping a toddler pee and had to stamp her hand when it was over. Not how he’d envisioned his life, but it wasn’t awful. It was kind of like rescuing people in a way because he was protecting a young life and helping her learn necessary skills. The effect in the end was that he’d made a difference to someone. He liked that.
“Thanks for helping me out,” Jenna said.
“No problem. I’ll want payment though.”
“Oh, really?”
Steam wreathed around her head, and drops of moisture ran down her face. Her hair was darker when it was wet and plastered to her head. He wanted to see the rest of her with water dripping down her skin, but that wasn’t going to happen right now.
“Definitely. I’ll think of something.” He waggled his eyebrows at her and she giggled before slipping behind the curtain again.
“I won’t be long,” she told him.
“Take your time. Alice and I will fix coffee and breakfast, won’t we, sweetie?”
“Yuh-huh,” Alice said. “I finiss now.”
“Make sure she wipes,” Jenna called.
“On it,” Noah said. He helped Alice take care of business, got her nightie on and hands washed—and stamp applied—then took her down to the kitchen to start the coffee. He didn’t know what Jenna wanted Alice to wear, so he didn’t attempt to dress her first. He figured there was plenty of time for that anyway.
“What do you want for breakfast? Eggs? Oatmeal? Cereal? Toast?”
A few short weeks ago, he wouldn’t have known what to feed her, but now he knew she could eat whatever the adults ate. Yesterday he’d given her the yogurt and cheese, but today he let her decide. She seemed to consider it before she said oatmeal. He knew she meant she wanted it with sugar and cinnamon so he got to work. Jenna sliced bananas and strawberries to make faces in the oatmeal. She also used blueberries for eyes. He’d watched her do it enough times that he knew what to do.
By the time Jenna entered the kitchen, Alice was eating her oatmeal and Noah had finished his first cup of coffee. The moment he saw her, every protective instinct he had flared.
“What’s wrong?”
She blinked at him. “I… um, nothing. Nothing’s wrong.”
Noah poured coffee, fixed it the way she liked, and handed it to her. “I don’t know why you’re lying to me, but you are,” he said softly. “You don’t have to. Let me help.”
She took the coffee in shaky hands, then lifted it so she could take a sip. “I wish you could,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry, Noah, but…” Her eyes filled with tears. “I have to go.”
Alarm snaked through him. “Go where?”
“Just go.” She flung an arm out. “Leave.”
He could only stare at her in disbelief. After everything that’d happened last night in his bed. And, hell, the past few weeks where he’d gotten used to having her around. Liked having her around. He couldn’t imagine her walking out on him now. On Alice.
Then again, he was used to people leaving him. Or sending him away. It shouldn’t hurt anymore, but it did. More than he’d expected it to. He started to tell her to go ahead and leave. Get out and let him and Alice figure things out. They didn’t need her. It’s what he would have done with anyone else. What’d he’d done so many times in his head when he’d been sent away. I don’t need you anyway.
But he couldn’t say the words because it wasn’t what he felt. He opted for the truth, no matter how hard it was to admit.
“I don’t want you to go,” he said quietly. “Alice doesn’t want you to go either. If this is about what happened last night, it doesn’t have to happen again. I’ll respect your boundaries. I won’t touch you.”
“It’s not that. I just… I can’t stay.” She set the cup on the counter and turned to walk away.
He knew he should let her go, but he reacted instead, grabbing her arm, stopping her. She stiffened as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Jenna,” he said in her ear, his mouth so close to her soft skin. “Please. Tell me what’s wrong so I can help.”
He liked this life they were leading. He wanted to keep it going. He was in uncharted territory, but he was a fighter and a survivor. He didn’t quit, and he wasn’t quitting now. Not so easily.
She stood stiffly, and he almost let her go. Then she surrendered in a rush, her body relaxing into his. “No one can help me. It’s too late for that.”
“Try me, Jen. Just try.”
Jenna stood in his arms, trembling as he held her to his strong body. Her head was bowed and her heart ached. She wanted to believe, but Noah was one man. Even with his team, they were no match for the Flanagans. Those men were rich and ruthless, and they were looking for her.
The phone call she’d just gotten proved it. She didn’t get too many calls, but she did get them, so when her phone rang, she’d been distracted and she’d answered it. A man’s voice spoke. What he’d said chilled her to the bone.
“You’re a hard lady to find, Jenna Lane.”
“I—who is this?”
“Charlie and Billy send their regards. And a message. They want their money. If you give it back, nobody has to get hurt.”
Her heart was in her throat, pounding out of control. “I don’t have their money. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Funny, but that idiot boss of yours said the same thing. You’ve got three days. Return the money, or your sweet little Aunt Maggie will be getting a visit from me. You don’t want that to happen. Trust me.”